r/moderatepolitics • u/200-inch-cock unburdened by what has been • 24d ago

Trump Team Weighs Options, Including Airstrikes, to Stop Iran’s Nuclear Program News Article

https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/trump-iran-plan-nuclear-weapons-def26f1d
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178

u/IHerebyDemandtoPost Trump Told Us Prices Would Plummet 24d ago

Between this and Mexico, anti-war Trump sure is talking about starting a lot of wars.

62

u/topofthecc 24d ago

I've been wondering what would happen if the US bunker busted the Iranian nuclear program and just left things at that. What could they do to retaliate? Their allies are getting annihilated everywhere, their attempts to hit Israel have looked pathetic, and their own people loathe them.

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u/cathbadh 24d ago

It would take a MAJOR air campaign, with repeated air strikes over the course of days. This would involve hitting fortified and deeply buried sites repeatedly to ensure your bombs hit deep enough, because you'll never be able to verify if it worked or not. These bunkers are deep enough that Israel would not be able to do much about them without their own nuclear weapons. This would follow with strikes on at least one site in or next to a civilian population center. If done wrong, this would risk radiological exposure. It would also require sustained attacks on Iranian air defenses, air bases, and every rocket and missile base they have.

What could they do to retaliate?

Attack Israel, end oil production for the Saudis and all of our regional allies, causing a global economic crisis, and launch terror attacks against us everywhere. They'd also have piles of radioactive debris that could be attached to dirty bombs.

Their allies are getting annihilated everywhere, their attempts to hit Israel have looked pathetic, and their own people loathe them.

This all correct, and it wouldn't be difficult (just expensive and time consuming) for the US to cripple their nuclear ambitions. It would not be without cost to us and our allies however.

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u/riko_rikochet 24d ago

Yea I feel like people are forgetting the old adage about backing a wild animal into a corner. What can Iran do in a "conventional" war? Not a whole lot. What can Iran do to burn down the world if their leaders decide they have nothing left to lose? A whole lot.

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u/VultureSausage 23d ago

It's honestly a little worrying seeing people having learned nothing from Iraq. The destabilising effects of that war are still playing out.

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u/I-Make-Maps91 21d ago

Because for all the anti war/populist bluster, these are still a bunch of neocons. Look at the actual policy, not the rhetoric, and it's privatization, deregulation, and tax cuts that primarily help the wealthy while giving a sop to the middle class.

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u/VultureSausage 21d ago

I'm well aware, I'm just bemused that people are falling for literally the same rhetoric as with Iraq.

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u/I-Make-Maps91 21d ago

I used to be, now I'm just sad. Once of my favorite social studies teachers, a guy who had a pretty big impact on how I view public service and civic responsibilities, regularly writes in to the local paper about how we aren't giving Trump enough credit for all the good he does.

Trump is everything I thought we were warned against in his class.

1

u/GoodByeRubyTuesday87 23d ago

It’s interesting about the Saudi oil part, or honestly most middle eastern oil production. Reminds me of North Korea having tons of missiles and artillery armies directly as Seul in case a war breaks out, like the US + SK could likely win a conventional war against NK but they could nearly destroy all of sooty Korea in the process.

Iran is half pretending to be a normal global country right now, they have the capacity to do a lot worse. They’re a parish as is, but they could do a lot more damage.

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u/Sabertooth767 Neoclassical Liberal 24d ago

The only thing they could do is what they're doing now: fund terrorism.

Why do we negotiate with these people?

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u/burnaboy_233 24d ago

If Iran was to bomb the straight of her moose, well, pretty much the global economy will collapse

12

u/mysterious_whisperer 24d ago

“straight of her moose” is great

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u/Airedale260 24d ago

Speech to text or just auto correct having a very bad day?

4

u/burnaboy_233 23d ago

Speech to text, thing is pretty annoying

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u/mysterious_whisperer 23d ago

I had it pegged as an intentional joke or a reference I didn’t recognize. Pretty sure I’m always going to think of it as “her moose” now.

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u/Ghost4000 Maximum Malarkey 24d ago

They'd probably seek friends anywhere they could, I wonder if we'd consider this a win if it meant an Iran propped up by China, like North Korea.

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u/classless_classic 24d ago

This. Suddenly Iran has Chinese drone technology, which is then funneled to terrorists to attack on US soil.

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u/Bullet_Jesus There is no center 24d ago

They'll just build deeper bunkers and we'll be back here in a decade.

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u/WorksInIT 24d ago

Okay. So target every government and military building. We don't have to limit ourselves to nuclear facilities.

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u/thingsmybosscantsee Pragmatic Progressive 24d ago

You do realize you're talking about war, right?

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u/Bullet_Jesus There is no center 24d ago

So we've gone from striking Iranian nuclear facilitates, to striking Iranian government and military facilities, what's next? Infrastructure?

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u/WorksInIT 24d ago

I think that would be good enough. At least until.they establish a new government after we've addressed the current one.

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u/Bullet_Jesus There is no center 24d ago

So we just keep blowing up Iranian governments until we get one we like?

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u/WorksInIT 24d ago

Sounds like a plan to me.

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u/Bullet_Jesus There is no center 24d ago

Damn if it's that easy I'm surprised prior administrations have ever had any difficulty with foreign policy.

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u/WorksInIT 24d ago

Yes, the previous administrations have handled Iran poorly. The only language terrorists understand is violence. Trying to reason or negotiate with them is a waste of time. Military action is the only thing that can actually address Iran.

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u/riko_rikochet 24d ago

Wait so you want Trump to do more airstrikes, spend more on the military, put American soldier in harm's way and potentially start a war with Iran? Didn't Trump run on an isolationism platform of making peace with everyone and stopping all the wars?

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u/IHerebyDemandtoPost Trump Told Us Prices Would Plummet 24d ago edited 24d ago

I can’t think of a single time a regime was toppled with air power alone.

The US leveled about 85% of North Korean buildings during the Korean War. They weathered the storm.

The US dropped several times more explosives on North Vietnam than they did on North Korea, and they won the war.

And in both of these examples, it wasn’t an air-only campaign.

If you want to topple the regime, you need boots on the ground. Either American boots, or preferably, someone elses.

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u/WorksInIT 24d ago

It depends on if we can identify where their leadership is. If we can, then we should be able to target them with airstrikes. I'm patient.